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Re: Newbie Grandpa Would like EP45-DS3R Q6600 to OC 3.4 Help Please!

You're in for a fun time, this is close to what I bought - same mobo, CPU, & cooler, got some cheap slow Crucial RAM (which I'll replace soon) and a PNY GeForce 9600GT. My Q6600 has a VID of 1.2750V and so far I have it running at 3 GHz at stock voltage!

The Xigmatek HDT-S1283 is working great for me (56 C under Linpack stress testing at 3 GHz), but be sure to get the optional Crossbow bolt-down mounting kit. The supplied push pins suck donkey b@lls.

Run one stability test at stock speeds just to make sure everything is OK. I would suggest starting out with 7x333MHz and SpeedStep (EIST in the BIOS) disabled, then work your way up through the multipliers, stress testing as you go. Add core voltage as needed - the chipset is spec'd at 333 MHz so it shouldn't need any help to get there. Keep a log so you can remember what worked and what didn't. Above 3 GHz... ask the experts here for help.

You'll hear a lot of people use Prime95 as a stress test but I prefer the Intel Linpack benchmark (incorporated in Intel Burn Test and OCCT I think). Linpack works the CPU and memory system much harder than the prime tests - I see 6-8 C temp difference. You will find your instabilities and cooling system weaknesses much faster! I'm on Linux so I'm not up on what's available for Windows, but you'll get a lot of suggestions here.